


Halloween

by lastweekon



Category: Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: Competition, Established Relationship, Halloween, Love, M/M, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 19:23:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8257519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lastweekon/pseuds/lastweekon
Summary: It's the first of October and Zak has a plan to celebrate his favorite month with Nick.





	

“What is this?” Nick asked, grin pulling at his lips as he made his way into the kitchen.   
“What does it look like?” Zak asked, flipping a pancake.   
“Like it’s my birthday.” Nick said, taking a moment to appreciate the view. Zak didn’t cook very often, but Nick loved it whenever he did. “What did I do to deserve this?” Nick asked, making his way over to the older man and wrapping his arms around his torso. He lay a kiss to the side of Zak’s neck and the older man smiled happily as he continued to tend to the pancakes.   
“It’s the first day of October and I thought we should celebrate.” Zak shrugged.   
“Good idea.” Nick said with a grin. “Want me to get to work on the eggs?”  
“No. You sit down and relax. Have some coffee and keep me company.” Zak instructed. _“I’m_ cooking today.”  
“Yes, sir.” Nick said, pressing a kiss to Zak’s cheek before making his way toward the coffee pot. He poured himself a cup, taking a seat at the island to watch as Zak got to work cracking the eggs.   
“I was gonna do omelettes.” Zak said, as he got to work whisking.   
“Sounds good.” Nick said. “What do I have to do to get you in the kitchen more often? You’re so sexy when you cook.”   
Zak smiled shyly, feeling his cheeks grow warm.   
“Well, for starters, _you_ have to stop being so sexy when _you_ cook.” Zak smirked. “Besides, you’d probably get sick of pancakes, eggs and grilled cheese after a while.”   
“Hey, you’re a lot better than you give yourself credit for.” Nick assured him. Zak had learned a thing or two about cooking since they’d gotten together. Nick had even found him watching cooking shows from time to time, taking note of things he wanted to try.   
“Well, I’m not as good as you.” Zak said with a shrug, “But I try.”   
“You make my favorite grilled cheese on the planet.” Nick said with a smile.   
“That’s just because I use a shit-load of butter and cheese.” Zak chuckled.   
“Exactly!” Nick laughed. “You take it to a whole other level.”  
Zak chuckled, pushing the eggs to the side so he could get to work chopping the vegetables.   
“Well, I’m gonna try to take these eggs to another level.” Zak said. “I’ve never made an omelette before, so wish me luck!”  
“You don’t need luck. You’ve got the omelette master sitting right here. I can talk you through it.”   
“No, Nick. I wanna do this myself.” Zak insisted. “I’ve watched you do it a hundred times.”   
“Okay.” Nick said, “My lips are sealed.”  
Nick watched as Zak got to work slicing up a bell pepper. The older man’s brow furrowed as he concentrated on chopping the pepper down into uniform pieces and Nick couldn’t help but smile at how seriously he was taking this.   
“Be careful.” Nick said, as the older man began to chop a bit faster.   
“It’s fine, Nick. I’ve been practicing.” Zak said, looking up briefly as he continued to chop.  
Nick watched in horror as the knife sliced through the tip of Zak’s thumb, lopping it off.  
“Oh my God!” Zak screamed, bringing his hand up to his chest as blood flowed freely down his arm.   
“Zak!” Nick screamed, jumping off the stool to race to the older man’s side. “Oh my God. Don’t worry...it’s gonna be okay.”   
He grabbed for a clean towel, taking Zak’s hand and bracing himself before wrapping the towel securely around the severed thumb. Nick’s eyes shot up as Zak broke out in laughter.   
“You should have seen your face!” Zak said, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes.  
“What the...” Nick mumbled, confused and still a little shell-shocked.  
Zak unwrapped the towel, revealing a very lifelike, silicone thumb.   
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.” Zak laughed  
“Shit, Zak! That was mean!” Nick said, resting a hand over his heart as he caught his breath. “I thought you were gonna pass out and I was gonna have to carry you to the car. What the fuck!?” he added with a playful shove. He couldn’t help the way his face cracked into a smile. Zak loved Halloween and Nick knew he’d probably been planning this prank for weeks.   
“I’m sorry.” Zak chuckled. “You’re not mad, are you?”  
“No…” Nick relented. “You just better watch your ass is all.” he said with a smirk.   
“Your bark is worse than your bite.” Zak said dismissively.   
“Is that right?” Nick asked, eyebrow raising. “I’ve got news for you, babe. I’ve been holding back.”  
“Oh yeah?” Zak grinned. “Why’s that?”  
“You can dish it out, but you can’t take it.”  
“I can too!” Zak protested.   
“You jump out of your skin whenever I sneak up on you.”   
“After years of getting touched by ghosts, I’m a little jumpy.” Zak shrugged. “So sue me.”  
“And that makes total sense.” Nick agreed. He could tell Zak was getting a little defensive and he wanted to diffuse the situation quickly.  
“You’re jumpy too.” Zak said. “I’ve just always been more vocal than you.”  
“True.” Nick said with a warm smile, taking a step closer to place his hands on Zak’s hips. “Do you want me to play a prank on you?   
“Not if you’re gonna half-ass it.” Zak whined.   
“I’ll scare you if you want me to scare you.” Nick said seriously. “Just remember, you asked for it.”  
“I’m not worried.” Zak retorted.   
“You should be.” Nick said with a devilish smile before bringing their lips together.  
“Do your worst.” Zak mumbled into the kiss.

Zak flopped down face first onto the bed, letting out an exaggerated groan as he sank into the blankets.   
“I’m dead.” He said, voice muffled by the mattress. “I think you actually killed me this time.”  
“You’re fine, you big baby.” Nick said dismissively.   
“I told you I wanted to go _easy_ today.” Zak whined.   
“That _was_ easy!” Nick chuckled.   
Zak flipped over, giving Nick an incredulous glare.   
“Babe. That was _not_ easy! Today was supposed to be my rest day, you know!”  
“Well, then we’ll take a rest day tomorrow.” Nick said with a grin.   
“You’re damn right we will…” Zak said. “And you better not try and guilt me into getting up early. I’m sleeping in, and you’re sleeping in with me!”   
“We’ll see…” Nick teased.   
“That’s it. I’m not working out with you anymore.” Zak said, flopping over dramatically.   
Nick smiled, making his way toward the bed. He straddled Zak’s body and began to knead at the sore muscles.   
“I mean, I love to watch you work out. But at what cost?” Zak asked, unmoving. “Mmm...a little to the left.” he directed, and Nick couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Zak was always one for dramatics and Nick knew how much he loved getting doted on.   
“You can’t stop working out with me. I need you there for inspiration.” Nick said, placing a line of kisses down the back of Zak’s neck. His skin was salty with sweat and Nick smiled as goosebumps sprang up on the older man’s skin. “I need you there to remind me of why I work so hard to stay in shape.”   
“So you don’t look like me?” Zak joked.   
“No.” Nick said, resuming his massage. “So I can keep up with you.”  
Zak smiled into the mattress, feeling a blush crawl up his cheeks at the compliment. He knew Nick was just indulging him. The younger man was in amazing shape and always had been. But the compliment worked just the same.   
“Well, I guess if your body’s on the line…” Zak joked. He felt Nick chuckle above him. “But you gotta take it easier on me.”   
“You got a deal.” Nick said with a smile. “Why don’t you go hop in the shower, get some warm water on those muscles.” Nick said, leaning down to kiss Zak’s shoulderblades.   
“Why don’t you join me?” Zak coaxed, turning his body to bring their lips together.   
“Mmm…” Nick groaned into the kiss. “I wanted to do a couple more sets of abs and then I’ll be right in.”  
Zak rolled his eyes, pressing his lips to Nick’s once more before moving to make his way toward the bathroom.  
“Save some hot water for me?” Nick asked.  
“We’ll see.” Zak teased, stripping off his shirt. “You better hurry up.”  
Nick grinned, giving Zak an appreciative once-over.   
“I’m right behind you.” 

Zak ran a towel through his wet hair as he watched Nick slip into his boxer briefs.   
“Babe. Those extra ab workouts are paying off big time.” he said, biting his lower lip as his eyes dragged over the younger man’s body.   
“Oh yeah?” Nick asked, color rushing to his cheeks.   
“You look amazing.”  
“Thanks.” Nick said with a grin, turning his attention back to getting dressed.   
“What’s the weather supposed to be today?” Zak asked. He pretty much relied on Nick as his own personal meteorologist.   
“It’s actually supposed to be a little chilly. You should probably grab a sweater.” Nick said, stepping into his jeans and zipping them up. “Would you grab me one too?”  
“Sure.” Zak said, making his way to the closet. As he opened the door, something caught his eye as it descended from the ceiling. He jumped back, screaming as he brought his arms up to cover his face.   
“Are they on me?!” He yelled, frantically brushing his hair and shoulders. It took him a few moments of panic to realize that Nick was laughing. And when he looked back toward the closet, he saw why. Dozens of plastic spiders hung from a fishing wire pulley system that Nick had clearly rigged while Zak was in the shower.   
“You _ass_!” Zak said with a playful shove.  
“I wish I had recorded that!” Nick continued to laugh, wiping tears from his eyes as his hands rested on his knees for support. “That was hilarious.”  
“Whatever…” Zak said dismissively. “It just startled me a little.”  
“A _little_?” Nick said, unconvinced. “I’ve never heard you scream that loud before. I didn’t know your voice could go that high.” he chuckled.   
“It was kinda weak, babe.” Zak said.   
“Oh, it was, was it?” Nick questioned.  
“I’m just saying, it wasn’t _scary_ , you know?” Zak said, crossing his arms over his chest. “It was a nice try though.”   
“Yeah, okay…” Nick said with a smirk. “I’ll make sure I do better next time.”  
“Next time?” Zak asked, feeling fear bubble up in his stomach.   
“Well, yeah.” Nick said cooly. “I promised I’d scare you, didn’t I?”   
“Yeah.” Zak regretfully admitted.  
“Exactly. And I intend to keep that promise.” Nick said with a wicked grin. 

Zak had been on edge all week as he waited for the inevitable. But he knew Nick and he knew the younger man would love nothing more than to drag out the suspense for as long as possible. It had gotten to the point where Zak got nervous any time Nick left the room. Of course, he’d never tell Nick that. Why give him the satisfaction?   
He’d gotten into the habit of keeping Gracie close, knowing her tail would start wagging if she heard Nick approaching. And Gracie was loving all the extra attention, following Zak from room to room as he went about his daily activities. He’d even managed to coax Nick into shared showers every day that week. He wasn’t taking any chances. But he also knew he was only delaying the inevitable.   
“Come on, Gracie!” Nick called from the kitchen. The dog’s ears perked up. She knew what that voice meant. Either it was time to eat, or she was going outside.   
Zak looked at his phone. It was way too early for dinner. He followed Gracie to the kitchen already growing suspicious.   
“What’s going on?” Zak asked as casually as he could manage. Nick was crouched down, putting on the dog’s leash.   
“‘I thought I’d take gracie along on my run. Wanna join?” Nick asked.  
“Oh...uh...you’re gonna take Gracie?” Zak asked.   
“Yeah. It’s a nice night and she’s been cooped up the past couple of days with all the rain. I figured I’d let her run some of that energy off.”   
“Oh, okay.” Zak said.   
“Go get changed and join us.” Nick suggested.   
“Um…” Zak really didn’t _want_ to go for a run. But Nick was also taking his four legged alarm system, leaving him defenseless against any pranks the younger man might have in mind. But Nick also seemed to _want_ Zak to join them on the run. Maybe that was part of his plan? If so, Zak wanted no part in it. He hated running enough as it was.   
“That’s okay. I think I’m gonna stay here and get caught up on some email.”   
“Okay, sounds good.” Nick said, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Be back in a little bit.”  
“Okay.” Zak said. He watched out the window as Nick and Gracie took off jogging down the street.  
Suddenly the house felt really quiet. He couldn’t help but wonder just how far Nick was planning to take this. He double locked the back door, knowing how loud the deadbolt was. When Nick came back, he’d definitely hear him coming. He made his way to the living room, turning on lights as he went. He checked that the front door was locked before settling down on the couch with his laptop. He chuckled to himself, feeling kind of silly. After all, he _had_ asked for this.   
A while later, Zak was engrossed in a long email chain about an upcoming investigation. He had a notepad out and he was scratching down all kinds of details that still needed to be sorted out. He sighed to himself, feeling overwhelmed by everything that needed to get done. He took a deep breath, rubbing his eyes as he tried to wrap his brain around his next task when he heard a thump on the ceiling. His eyes shot up. The sound had come from the guest bedroom. It was a room they’d had trouble with from time to time. For whatever reason, when spirits followed them home, they liked to set up camp in that room.   
Zak sat quietly for a moment, listening for more commotion, but it was silent. He turned his attention back to the email. He had way too much to do to worry about a little spirit activity. A few moments later, he heard another thump, and his fingers paused on the keyboard.   
“Hello?” He couldn’t help but call out. He listened, but there was no response. “Nick?” he called, on the off-chance he hadn’t heard the younger man come in.  
But he knew both doors were securely locked and if Nick had come in, Zak would have heard. He shook his head, turning back to his computer. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with whatever was going bump in the night. He checked the time, thankful to see that Nick would be home soon. He turned his attention back to his work when he heard footsteps shuffling along the floor above him.   
“That’s it…” he said, feeling more than a little frustrated. It was one thing to be messed with during an investigation, and it was another thing to follow someone home and mess with their lives. He set his computer down, standing quickly from the couch and making his way to the foot of the stairs.   
“Hello?” He called again, a little more forceful this time. His heart was pounding, but he was happy to hear that his voice sounded calm. “Whoever you are, you’re not welcome in this house!”  
He heard something fall from one of the shelves in the guest room, hitting the carpet with a loud thud.   
“What the fuck?” he muttered, more than a little pissed off. “Now you’re breaking my shit? Really?” He called out as he pounded up the stairs. He couldn’t help wishing Nick was home and by his side, but he wasn’t. And it didn’t seem like this spirit wanted to wait.   
He approached the door to the guest bedroom slowly. Even after all these years, he still got scared every time he interacted with ghosts. He took a deep breath, knowing that he needed to put up a calm front.   
“Who’s in here?” he asked, “Why are you messing with our stuff?”   
As he walked into the room, he immediately saw that his favorite frame had fallen from the shelf. It was a picture of him and Nick the night they premiered their documentary to their family and friends. Nick had given him the framed picture for their first anniversary and Zak felt his blood boil as he made his way toward it. If it was broken, he was going to be pissed. He knelt over, picking the picture frame up to examine it and was pleased to find that it looked okay. He dusted the glass with the sleeve of his sweater before setting the frame back carefully on the shelf. He smiled to himself, as he looked at the picture. They both looked so young and their faces beamed with pride. Neither of them had any idea just how far that little film would take them and how happy they’d be together all these years later.   
Zak heard the floorboards creak, and he turned toward the sound to see a dark figure in the corner of the room. He froze, feeling a cold chill down his spine as the figure moved toward him, hands outstretched. Zak let out a blood-curdling scream as the light from the hallway shone over the bright red wig and the red button nose. He wanted to run, but his feet were frozen in place and the clown was blocking his path to the door. He continued to scream, unable to hear anything but the pounding of his own heart in his ears as the figure approached. Zak braced himself, launching a fist and punching the clown in the eye.   
“Ow, fuck!” the figure yelled, gloved hands coming up to his face. “Shit.”  
“Nick?” Zak said, confused.   
“Yeah. Who the hell did you think it was?” Nick asked, wincing as he touched his tender cheek.   
“Oh shit…Babe, I’m so sorry.” Zak said, approaching the younger man to assess the damage. “You scared the hell out of me.”  
“Oh, did I? I hadn’t noticed.” Nick said, sarcastically.   
“Oh my God, your nose is bleeding.” Zak said, using the sleeve of his sweater to blot at the flowing blood.   
“Didn’t you hear me when I was talking to you?” Nick asked.   
“What? No.” Zak said. He felt awful. Nick’s under-eye was already beginning to swell and he knew it was going to bruise.   
“I came in here to get changed and I knocked the picture frame over by mistake when I was coming through the window. I didn’t mean to scare you...well, not like this at least. I was gonna come peek in through the front window. But then you came upstairs, and so I hid.” Nick explained. “And then I saw you looking at the picture frame and I started to worry that this was too mean a prank, so I tried to hide a little better so you wouldn’t see me, but I stepped on a creaky board. I was trying to tell you it was me and not to worry, but you just kept screaming. And...well, you know the rest.” he said, gesturing to his bloody nose.  
“I’m so sorry.” Zak said. “I thought you were trying to grab me.”  
Nick couldn’t help but chuckle. In the dark, he supposed that’s what it would have looked like.   
“That was a hell of a punch, babe.” he said, touching his swollen face.   
“I’m so sorry, Nick.” Zak said, cupping the younger man’s cheek in his hands. “I feel terrible.”  
“Don’t worry about it.” Nick said sincerely. “Sorry for scaring the shit out of you.”   
“You _really_ did.” Zak chuckled. “I almost cried.”  
“I’m sorry.” Nick chuckled, stepping in to place his hands on Zak’s hips. “So, does that mean I won Halloween?”  
“Yeah.” Zak admitted.  
“And we can be done with the pranks now?”   
“Absolutely.” Zak agreed.   
“Good.” Nick said with a smile.   
“Can we be done with that makeup now too?” Zak asked. “You look fucking creepy.”   
Nick had forgotten he was wearing it, and he laughed as Zak took a couple steps back, putting a bit of space between them.   
“I don’t know, I kinda like this look.” Nick teased. “I might have to make this my new hobby.”   
“I _will_ leave you.” Zak said seriously.   
“You wouldn’t.” Nick challenged. “You love me.”  
“Yeah, I do.” Zak smiled softly.   
“Prove it.” Nick said, quirking a painted eyebrow.   
“What?” Zak asked nervously.  
“Get over here and prove it. Gimmie a kiss.”   
“Nick…”  
“You _did_ punch me, after all. You kinda owe me.” Nick said, with a sly grin.   
“I…” Zak stammered as Nick looked at him expectantly. “Oh, fuck it.” he said, slamming his lips into Nick.  
The unexpected force of the kiss knocked Nick off balance and he grabbed for Zak’s waist, pulling the older man in closer as he kissed back. After a few moments, Zak broke the kiss feeling a small sense of accomplishment. Nick smiled, pulling back from the kiss, and a chuckle escaped his lips as he took in the view. Zak’s lips and face were smeared in red and white paint. A triumphant smile spread across the older man’s lips as he smiled back at Nick.   
“I’ll have you know, that was the weirdest thing I’ve ever done.” Zak said. “Are we even now?”  
“Yeah.” Nick said with a smile. “We’re even now.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this. It's admittedly a little silly, but I thought it would be fun to write something for Halloween. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!!


End file.
